Social Media Activity Affecting Outcome in Divorce Cases

If you are recently separated and have joined on online dating website, or have been spending some time flirting on Facebook, you may want to be aware of the legal issues that could arise.

According to the Law Institute of Victoria in Australia, couples battling out the division of assets in divorce cases are increasingly using dating websites as evidence to prove the timeline of a relationship. In other words, if someone claims she was still with her spouse when in fact she was listed as single on a dating site, it could affect the outcome of what she's entitled to get.

This comes as international research shows that Facebook is becoming a weapon in divorce cases as well. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that more cases are citing social media activity as evidence of cheating, specifically flirtatious messages and photographs.

Law Institute of Victoria president-elect and family law specialist Caroline Counsel states that, "The real controversy now is who contributed what and when - and does this contradict what they are saying on their Facebook page or on a dating site?"

Chris Dawson, Director of Relationship Counselors at Humaneed, a marriage and family counseling service, stated that about 50% of couples they see are concerned with cheating on social networking sites, and that the sites make infidelity more accessible.

"It's a common discovery method. It may just be an emotional affair, but a betrayal is a betrayal," Dawson states.

While infidelity has always been a factor in some divorce cases, Internet dating sites and social media has made it easier to gather evidence. Likely we will see Internet activity cited in more divorce cases in the future, so what you put on your Facebook page is worth careful consideration.